The Boston Celtics closed their 2026-27 NBA preseason schedule with a 125-120 overtime victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, October 17, 2026, finishing the exhibition slate undefeated with four consecutive wins basketmagazine.net.
Boston Outlasts Philadelphia in Overtime as González Leads Scorers
Playing on the road, the Celtics used a rotation featuring young players and roster hopefuls to overcome a Philadelphia squad that deployed major rotation pieces basketmagazine.net. Boston jumped ahead 34-28 after the opening quarter, but Philadelphia responded before halftime to claim a 60-58 edge basketmagazine.net. The 76ers extended their lead to 94-84 in the third period before Boston mounted a late fourth-quarter comeback, forcing the extra session tied at 115-115 basketmagazine.net. In the overtime period, the Celtics outscored the hosts 10-5 to secure the win basketmagazine.net.
Hugo González paced Boston with 21 points in under 20 minutes of play, while Ron Harper Jr. added 16 points and Milos Uzan contributed 14 basketmagazine.net. For Philadelphia, Joel Embiid finished with 27 points and eight rebounds, Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points, and Jaylen Brown added 20 basketmagazine.net.
LeBron James Appears for Philadelphia in Exhibition Loss
LeBron James logged eight points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in 25 minutes of action basketmagazine.net. Operating under Nick Nurse, James committed four turnovers during the contest basketmagazine.net.
Despite the preseason defeat, Philadelphia enters the upcoming campaign with ambitions of capturing an NBA championship basketmagazine.net.
League-Wide Results from the Final Night of Preseason
Across the twelve games played on the final night of the preseason schedule basketmagazine.net, several other notable matchups concluded across the league:
- Orlando Magic defeated the Miami Heat 136-115 at the Kia Center basketmagazine.net, led by 24 points from Paolo Banchero. The win was dampened by injuries to Franz Wagner, Jase Richardson, and Noah Penda.
- San Antonio Spurs rolled past the Sacramento Kings 126-97, behind 19 points from Dylan Harper and 14 from Victor Wembanyama basketmagazine.net.
- Golden State Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 128-118, powered by 20 points from Stephen Curry and a complete stat line from Draymond Green basketmagazine.net.
- Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 121-106, paced by 21 points from Jamal Murray and 17 from Nikola Jokić basketmagazine.net.
- Milwaukee Bucks edged the Indiana Pacers 128-127 in overtime, with Tyler Herro scoring 25 points basketmagazine.net.
- Atlanta Hawks topped the Dallas Mavericks 135-111, despite Cooper Flagg putting up 26 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas basketmagazine.net.
Opening Night of the Regular Season Set for October 20
With the exhibition schedule complete, attention shifts to the opening night of the 2026-27 NBA regular season on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 basketmagazine.net. The three-game opening slate features the Boston Celtics against the Detroit Pistons, the Philadelphia 76ers facing the New York Knicks, and the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the San Antonio Spurs basketmagazine.net.
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